Thursday, August 23, 2012

Ironman Louisville: It's Here

We’re just a few hours away from packing up the car and
starting the drive to Louisville. I guess race weekend is really here. Really,
really here.

And I’m still not excited.

But I’m also not scared.

Maybe scared that I’m not scared?

Perhaps. I think, though, it’s a reflection of the fact
that I did every single workout on my training schedule, save one optional recovery
trainer ride that I cut short in July and a run in March that I bailed on while
I was sick.

Since I had well over 200 workouts since January 1, that
still puts me over 99%. I think that’s about as good as it goes. And now,
rested and packed, there’s little left to do but race. And here’s how I’m planning
on doing that.

Swim: Goal of :59-1:10

I’ll be missing out on the signature Ironman mass start,
as Louisville is a time trial start. This means that a line starts forming at
something like 3 am, because people are worried about making the time cutoff
for the swim. However, as I am close to growing gills after decades in the
water, I plan to show up sometime around 6:30 am and hang out with the slackers
in the back, hop in, and enjoy a nice straight-line swim in the Ohio River with
a bit of a current assist for the second half. Breaking an hour would be cool,
but if not, no big deal.

Bike: Goal of under 7 hours

When we biked the course a month ago, our pace would have
us finishing the course around 7:05, and my legs managed a 20 minute run after
that. And since running 20 minutes is BASICALLY the same thing as running a
marathon, I’m sure that I will be JUST FINE to hammer the bike course even
harder.

Kidding. I’ll be spinning up the hills easy, watching a
bunch of guys engage in dick-swinging while hammering up the early climbs, and
waiting to pass them back on the run later in the day. If you’re out on the
course, either racing or spectating, look for me on this beautiful Felt B2.

Run: Goal of under 5:30

Doug did one marathon two years ago. His time is 5:32.
The basis for this goal is therefore self-explanatory.

OK, and more relevantly, I managed to do two longer runs (60 and 90 minutes) right after 80+ mile bike rides in 110
F heat index conditions, at about 12 minute per mile pace, which included
walking two minutes every mile. And each time, I felt that I could have
continued. So, keeping a ~12:30/mile pace is a reasonable goal. If you’re still
around in the later hours of the race, look for me running along at a slow,
steady pace.

Overall race goals

Since it’s my first time at this distance, I have a
pretty wide range of finishing times that I’ll be happy with. Here goes:

Super-duper awesome day: 14 hours

This requires being close to all my goal split
times and getting through transitions quickly (in other words, not spending 75
minutes eating waffles in T1, like I did in an oddly vivid dream last week). It’s
doable on a good day, and I’d be finishing up before it got too dark and wouldn’t
get stuck with a glowstick necklace at the end of the run.

An OK day: 15 hours

Stuff happens. Flat tires. Dehydration. Bad tapers. So if
I wind up spending 7.5 hours on the bike and walking a bit more of the
marathon, I’ll be pushing 15 hours, but I won’t be a midnight finisher.

The real goal: Finish

I mean, being a midnight finisher could be cool in a way,
right?

See you all in Louisville! If you see me, say hi! I often
hoard chocolate and occasionally share.

And if you aren’t there in person, go to ironmanlive.com
to track #236 and see how this all goes.

Well, I'm glad that you're calm, because I'd be crapping my pants if I was facing your race (I'm bad enough with just a marathon). I think that's what's going to give you an edge, to be honest. The only people I know who have done well in such feats of endurance have been confident and quite Zen by nature.

GOOD LUCK!!! Your goals are super reasonable and you might surprise yourself and go even faster! But at the end of the day, it's about crossing the finish line, not how fast you get there! Enjoy every moment.